Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-03-19
TERNS---S2 90 PER YEAR
NO WAR THIS SPRING.

That l. the opinion OF Archibald
Forbes, the Famous correspondent
Arch.bald Forbes. who is regarded
here - the prince Of war correspond
ents. j. very pos tive that there will be
no war. writes Il London correspond
ent of The Ne'c York. World. 1t will be
remembered that he MARI ed last year
in Washington the daughter Of Gen.
Meirs. and. happy as heis in his do
r,estir relations and suffering as be
does fvau, rheumat sm contracted In
in the last R,lssU-Turkish war. he would
not probably taAS the field in case hos
lities should begin. Nevertheless, he
iS an acute observer ard few men are
As well informed As he rs to the fighting
capacity OF anv and all powers. peace
will not be disturbed this spring, he
,aid Yesterday when | called upon him
There will be no outbreak between
France and Germany. Indeed. through
all this talk Of war. | have never
Thought it probable.
WHY IaSked.
because the French are not going
TO attack and BisDarck is sincere in
his profession of peace. If he had nos
been he would have accepted three
year army bill instead of insisting to
the last extremity on the septeuate-
If he had really meant to provoke war
Immediately three wears would be am
pie time in which to crush France and
have done with it. You see, there
could not be a long war. In truth there
could not be more than one campaign
More than one would be too much for
the financial resources of either coun-
try. so terr bly, expensive would war be
now Nobody in Germany wants war
They did not want it in 1870. But it
was forced upon them and they struck
back with terrible impetuosity and et-
feet. 1t would be tenfold worse now
The French know it and they have
counted the cost and are going to keep
quiet
'.Of course you are well acquainted.
Mr.. Forbes, with the French and Ger
man frontier and the defenses on both
sides. Ii war should occur, what do
YOU think would be the line of action?'
As sad. France does not mean to
attack. and if she did. do not see how
she could ever break the German line
of fortifications. which is much strong
er now than 1870, and l bel eve it
would be almost as impossible for the
Germans to break through the French
lines. which have been greatly strength
: ened. YOU know. The point of actual
contact between France and Germany
, is quite narrow, and tn has been for
tilted on both sides to the utmost limit
l of engineering skill. think Bismarck's
idea would be-. not TO break through
the French lines, but to go around
through Belgium and strike France on
4 frontier that is almost defenseless.
am sure he has long been trying to-
square himself with Belgium, that he
might do this with her consent In
; fact he wanted to have Belg um come
5 into the German empire and be as
much a part of il as Bavaria. HIS argu-
ment was that it would be better for
\ Belgium to have the guarantee OF Ger
- many than to be under a sort of pro-
! tecting egis of the great powers, which
really amounts to no protection at all.
Belgium. however, preferred to be in
( dependent and rejected the advances of
Bismarck. | do not doubt. though
, that the German army would march
/. right through her territory to attack
e France, if she thought it military
: necessity"
!. But would not that involve Ger
# manv in a war with England, who was
e one of the signatories of the treaty of
t Paris of 1915, by which the neutrality OF
' Belgium was guaranteed"
: That treaty amounts to nothing.
= There is not power in Europe that
r would fight to preserve the neutrality
4 of Belgium under that treaty. Eng
land would not. England will fight for
e nothing except possibly, to defend her
r territory from invasion.
N You think she would not resist a
o Russian occupation of Bulgaria."
81 NO, never"
do you think that Russia will oc-
3T 3T cupy Bulgaria."
pr IF she does it will be with the con-
e sent of Germany and Austria" "
Then there would be no war in
s. that case?'
j None"
" Mr.. Forbes spoke with evident dis
- gust at the mere mention OF any war
like disposition on the part of England
and, while the hero of more cam
w paigns than any war correspondent
y. living. as will be seen, he takes tn
:, most pacific view OF things all around